The Secret Life of Zero, the Brave
by Sazd123
Summary: This story is based on Zero's past and what her life was like before she went to Pinkerton. Disclaimer: I do not own INK!
1. Chapter 1

I knew that my father would be angry. He always was after I'd run away from home. He said that I was too ungrateful for my own good, and that someday I'd pay the price. But I never listened to him. It was hard to tell when he was really himself to tell the truth. Half the time he was drunk, and even when he wasn't, he still had no idea what he was talking about. It was never a good time for him. He was always going off at one person or another.

But that was why Mum had left. Left Tracy and I alone with The Monster. Even now, two years after she had walked out on us, I was only seven years old. I was still a young child, yet I was being forced to play the parent role for my even younger sister. My life really sucked.

So I would run away. It was the only way I knew how to escape the violence that had ruled my life since the moment I was born. Born to parents who had never wanted a child. That was why my father had called me Nobody. That was my official name. It was on my birth certificate and everything. Nobody Hertwith. Simple and plain as that. I had never tolls anyone my real name before. It broke my heart to say it aloud. So instead, I called myself Zero. After all, nobody meant nothing, and nothing was zero. I was Nobody. I was Nothing. I was Zero.

I always tried to sneak into the house without my father noticing. But even in his more intoxicated periods, my father would always hear me. Then he would hit me 'till I bled, and showered me with insults until my heart broke.

Tonight was no different to any other night.

"So, miss good for nothing Nobody, fancied a late night stroll?" my father's huge body sneered down upon me. His red face and the smell of beer on his breath told me that he'd been drinking again.

"Leave me alone!" I yelled at him, trying to work up some false courage that we both knew that I didn't have. He merely laughed and stepped to the side, revealing the body of my younger sister, lying on the floor. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that she was breathing shallowly.

"You monster," I whispered to my father. I darted around him picked up Tracy from the floor and ran out the door.

The only place I could think to go was the hospital. I knew Tracy would be safe there, and that they would make her better. I laid her down on the footpath and wrote her a note. I hastily described everything that had happened, and gave her my mobile number so that she could contact me when she was well again. I knew that, being only three years old, she would not be able to understand, but I had hoped she would read the letter when she was older.

I left her with the note just inside the emergency department. I hoped that they would notice her soon and that she would be okay. As I walked away from the hospital, I knew that my sister and I had parted ways.

The final question was where I was going to live. I had nowhere to go. I was just a lonely six-year-old with a broken heart and a lost dream. I knew that their were only two places left in the world where I could possibly go- back home to my dad's, or all the way to my mum's house.


	2. Chapter 2

I decided that my best shot at happiness would be to go to my mother's house. I knew that if I was to return home without Tracy, my life would have been sure to come to an early end. So I got out two crumpled items from my pocket- a five dollar note, and the piece of paper with my mum's address that I had taken from my father's study.

Despite being only a small child, I was quite independent and was able to make my way around on my own. I had used the bus several times alone, and that was what I did that night. I knew that I would easily be able to work out which stop to get off at, so I made my way to the nearest bus shelter and waited for the bus to come.

As I sat on the bus, I let my mind wander. I thought about my father, wondering what had happened to turn him into a monster. I thought about my mother, puzzling over what had made her leave Tracy and I in our time of need. And then I realised. It was love, and the withdrawal of it, that had turned my family against one another. It was when happiness, affection and joy were taken out of one's life that hearts were broken. It had broken Mum's heart. It had broken Dad's heart. And now it had broken mine. But never again. It was then that I decided that from that moment on, I would not let myself fall foul to such emotions. I realised that being cold, hard and exclusive was the only way that I could remain sane.

My mother looked at me, an expression of utter confusion on her face. In three years, it seemed, I had changed so much that even my own mother didn't recognise me! It was true, with all the stress and worry of family life, my hair had gone grey, and I had grown much taller. But I'd thought that she, of all people, would have been able to recognise me.

"It's me! Your daughter! Nobody," I said to her. Immediately, the confusion on her face was replaced with disgust. She let be in and told me to sit down. With that, she excused herself to make a cup of coffee.

Next thing I knew, the authorities were at the door.

"Excuse me ma'am," a very official looking man said to my mother, "did you report a lost child?" I knew this had to be a mistake. Surely my mother wouldn't willingly give me up?

"Yes," my mother replied. She's right through here. What did you say your name was dear?" She directed her attention towards me.

"What are you talking about, you crazy lady?!" I cried in dismay. "You're my MOTHER! And you know my name! Why do you want to get rid of me?!" I burst into tears.

"As you can see, she's a bit delirious. Thank you for your time." As she finished, the man came and took me by the hand. He led me out of the house and into his car.

"So darling, what's your name?" I refused to answer. I was cold, hard, indifferent Zero. I answered to no one.

"Okay then, how old are you?" I remained silent. After several minutes, he gave up, and we continued the journey without a word.

After driving for about an hour, we reached a very official looking building with a sign out the front that read 'Orphan Protection Authority'. Orphan? I was no orphan! Why were they taking me in there?


	3. Chapter 3

Here's another chapter!

Disclaimer: INK is not mine.

* * *

When we got into the building, the man led me into a room and told me to take a seat. Then there were more questions from another man sitting behind a computer. But I still refused to answer, and eventually he gave up.

The second man picked up a phone and dialled some numbers.

"Hello? Is this Mrs Payton? Yes. Yes, we have another one for you." Even though I could only hear half the conversation, I knew what was going on.

"Well, let's just say she's a difficult one. Yes. She won't answer any of our questions. No. We don't even know her name. What's that? No, we think she's about 10 though. Yes. If that wouldn't be too much trouble for you. Thank you." He put the phone down.

"Right then young lady, we've found you a nice new home. At least for the time being. Mrs Payton is going to pick you up in the morning. For now, we'll have to put you in one of the dormitories. Oh, and it would really help if we knew how old you were. And your name," he added as an afterthought.

"My name is Zero. I'm six years old." The man looked surprised at the answers to both the questions, but he did not interrogate me further. He led me through a maze of corridors, and finally into a room where three boys and a girl were playing.

"Zero, this is Max, Vincent, Tom and Stephanie. They are all the same age as you. We haven't had enough foster parents volunteer, so these kids wait here for the time being. Have fun!" He left the room, and I stared at my new bunk mates. Most of them went back to playing, but the boy with blond hair and blue eyes smiled at me. I tried hard not to smile back. Despite the fact that he seemed really nice, I wasn't going to talk to him. I had decided that emotions were a sign of weakness. And I, Zero, was anything but weak.

At dinner that night I didn't eat anything.

"Why don't you eat something?" the blond boy asked. I was startled.

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't touched your dinner. Aren't you hungry?"

"No." I looked at the longing in his face.

"You can have it if you like." His eyes lit up.

"Really? Thanks! My names Vin by the way. My full names Vincent, but people just call me Vin."

"Hi Vin," I said. Then I remembered my promise to myself. I got up and walked away. Emotions were weakness. I couldn't let myself fall foul to them.

As I slept that night. I dreamed that Vincent and I got married, and that we had two children. In the dream, there was no fighting, no yelling and no hitting. Only joy and happiness. Could love ever be that way.

The next day, Mrs Payton came to collect me. "Hello darling!" the plump, cheerful woman said. She seemed kind enough, but that didn't mean I wanted to go with her. Then again, what other choice did I have? I could have stayed there, with Max, Tom, Stephanie and the boy called Vincent with his strange blue eyes. That option seems just as bad as staying with Mrs Payton. So reluctantly, I let her guide me to the car.

As we drove away, I saw the children playing in the garden turn towards the car to look at me with jealousy. I gazed at the seat in front of me instead of looking at them, wondering what my new life would be like.


	4. Chapter 4

**Another chapter! Thank you so much for the review! I was so happy! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own INK and never will**

* * *

I spent four years as Zero Payton. My foster mother, whose name was Julie, learnt quickly not to talk about my past. After a few weeks of awkwardness, we ended up getting along fairly well.

I always checked outside my window before I went to bed. Every night I made sure that my father wasn't outside, ready to kill me. I knew that he would never be able to find me, that I had travelled too far for him to be able to track me. But even so, I knew that I couldn't be too careful.

All the kids at school made fun of me. They made fun of my name, they mad fun of my age, they made fun of my intelligence, but most of all they made fun if my hair. In the end, I learnt to hang anyone who called me 'Granny' by there underwear from the coat rack in the hall.

I quickly became known as a bully at school. All the other kids ran in fear of me, and I was sent to he principal almost every day. But despite endless yelling and keeping inside at lunch, no one ever managed to get the message through to me. I had suffered, so why shouldn't the other children suffer too?

Eventually I was sent to see a psychologist.

"Hello Zero." I'd expected Amanda to say more than that. I wanted her to say something about my family. I wanted to be angry with her. But she never said anything.

"Well Zero, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing." Amanda had laughed when I'd said that.

"Okay. Would you like to play a game?"

"No."

"Would you like to do a drawing?"

"No."

"Would you like to..." She was out of ideas. We sat in silence for over ten minutes, as she typed in some things into her computer. I watched the clock on the wall.

"Why don't you make friends with the other children? Why do always try to hurt them?" I was surprised at the way Amanda had spoken to me. As if I was her equal, not her inferior. That was how other adults spoke to me. Like I was rubbish.

"Because they're too happy," I found myself saying to her, "It's not fair that they get to be happy when I'm sad."

"Why are you sad?"

"Because I am," I replied stubbornly. That made Amanda laugh.

"Please try to make some friends Zero. It will do you a world of good," Amanda said as she got out of her chair and closed her computer.

"I'll try," her eyes lit up.

"Oh, thank you Zero! You're a ten year old girl! You need to be happy. You can't spend your entire life being miserable," and with that she left.

But I was Zero. I could do whatever I liked. And the word happiness had lost it's meaning to me a long time ago.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's another chapter. Just to make things clear, this chapter is based about a week after the last one, not immediately afterwards. Hope you enjoy, and please review!**

* * *

"Darling, are you okay?" I woke up in a puddle of cold sweat. Mrs Payton's ghost was talking to me. It had to be her ghost. After all, I'd just watched my father murder her, hadn't I?

Then I remembered that it had only been a dream. No, not a dream. A nightmare. Dreams were happy. In dreams, only good things happen to you. But I knew that good things never happened to me. And besides, watching my father brutally murder my foster mother wasn't exactly my idea of a dream. No, it had been a nightmare. A terrible, terrible nightmare.

It hadn't been the first one, either. She'd often dreamt about her father. In every dream, he would kill someone she liked. He killed Mrs Payton for coming to her rescue. He killed her school teachers for trying to understand her. He killed the boy called Vincent for smiling at her. All he did was kill, kill, kill. Because that was the sort of person he was.

"What's the matter Zero?" Mrs Payton asked again.

"Nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing. By the way you were screaming, it sounded like you'd witnessed a murder!"

"I'm fine," I didn't want to tell her about my past. It was done and gone, and nobody could change it.

Every day I feared more and more that my father would turn up. I feared that my dreams would come true, and that everyone I knew would feel my father's wrath. I couldn't let that happen. Despite all my efforts, I had grown close to the people who had cared for me. I didn't want to see anything happen to them.

So once again, I found myself on the run. Only this time, I had no destination. I was just running. And I would keep running forever.

Time passes.

"Hey kid! What ya doing out on your own on a night like this? They streets are no place for a little girl you know," the man sneered at me. His companion, who I had not noticed in the shadows, laughed.

"Leave me alone."

"Ooh. Looks like someone's got an attitude problem."

"I said leave me alone! Or else," I said angrily.

"Or else what? A little girl like you is gunna beat up a big man like me? I don't think so," he laughed.

"Try me."

"I would, but I'd probably go to jail, so I won't. Scram kid."

"No."

"What did you just say?" The man raised his fist, ready to punch.

"I said no." That probably wasn't the smartest thing I'd ever done in my life. The man punched, and my whole world went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**I've planned this to be the final chapter. Hope you enjoy, and please tell me if you have any suggestions to make my story better!**

**Disclaimer: As we all know, I do not own INK, or Pinkerton, or anything to do with the show.**

* * *

When I came to, I had absolutely no idea where I was. All I could work out was that I'd left the place where I'd been knocked out. I was sitting, slumped up against a high fence, next to a wire gate. The gate was open, and a path led to a large building, with two smaller buildings next to it.

There were about 20 kids playing in the yard. I was glad to be hidden from their view. Using the information that I had already gathered, as well as the sign outside the front gate, I was able to assume that the property I was sitting outside of was a boarding school. A boarding school... Now that was an idea. If I went to school at a boarding school, I'd have somewhere to live. It was the perfect solution to my problems!

As I walked into the gates, a sudden realisation hit me. It would look kind of odd, at 10-year-old girl walking into a school And wanting to enrol. No parents. No possessions. No papers. Not to mention the massive bruise I had picked up from the incident. And all the scars I had from my father's abusive behaviour. But it was a risk I was going to have to take.

I knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice called from inside. I entered, and a man looked up from some papers. He looked startled to see my state.

"Sit down." I did so.

"My name is Zero. I want to enrol at your school," I said. I could see all the questions on his lips. But he didn't ask any of them.

"Very well, Zero. I'm sure we can fit you into our school. But you must promise me one thing. We have a strict rule at Pinkerton- no violence. Are you willing to agree?"

"Of course," I said, surprised at how easily I had been accepted.

"Welcome to Pinkerton, Zero."

* * *

**So, that's the end. It actually feels a bit rushed. I might fix it later. Please tell me what you think! Thanks for reading, I'll hopefully be back with more stories soon!**


End file.
